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the lorax

A bronze statue of one of Dr. Seuss's iconic characters, The Lorax, was stolen from the home of Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel, over the weekend.

Geisel noticed the two-foot sculpture and its tree-stump base sometime were missing on Monday. The property manager says he found footprints that indicated the 300-pound Lorax had been dragged to an access road and lifted over a fence.

Police say it's unclear whether the statue was stolen due to the popularity of the character -- who is currently enjoying a big-screen revival -- or just the value of the bronze itself.

Investigators have not commented on whether they intend to interview the Old Once-ler on the subject of why the Lorax was lifted and taken somewhere.